Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by kctess5 3337 days ago
The bird thing is not as big of a deal as some seem to think. Wind turbines kill a couple hundred thousand birds each year [1]. In contrast, cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year [2]. People still like cats. I also don't think the noise concern is a reason to discount wind turbines.

Of course, dirty alternatives have their own toll on wildlife.

1. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-many-birds-do-w... 2. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cats-kill-more-one-billi...

1 comments

Also, chickens are birds. Not wild birds, but birds. If the concern for birds is some kind of animal rights perspective, chickens are up into the billions per year. If people want to prevent needless bird deaths, that seems like the place to start.
I think the main issue for most people is biodiversity and ecological impact rather than sentimentality. Very few wild animals pass away quietly in their sleep.